Colorado Approves Disclosure Of Fracking Chemicals
Colorado Approves Disclosure Of Fracking Chemicals
Colorado will require energy companies to disclose the concentrations of all chemicals in hydraulic fracturing and also ask drillers to make public some information about ingredients considered trade secrets.
Colorado regulators unanimously approved the new rules Tuesday that take effect in April.
The guidelines are similar to those required by a first-in-the-nation law passed in Texas this year but go further by requiring the concentrations of chemicals to be disclosed. Also, if Colorado drillers claim a trade secret, they would still have to disclose the ingredient's chemical family. In emergencies, companies would have to tell health care workers what those secret ingredients were.
Mark Udall's
statement:
These new rules are a strong step forward for Colorado and our local communities. It's vital that the industry does everything possible to show the public in a transparent way that hydraulic fracking is being done in a safe manner. It's also important that the state continues to provide strong oversight and require a transparent process. I've always said that one well contaminated or one person made sick is one too many.
Fracking is a common technology that has been used for over a decade and, when done correctly, it can be effective in helping to produce the energy we need, while creating jobs and lifting Colorado's economy. But it has to be done without damaging our public health or environment. Requiring oil and gas drillers to disclose all the chemicals used in fracking fluids will help to assure Coloradans that the state is providing the oversight and the transparency needed to protect their health and their communities.